The First Step: Write a Great Story. Part 1

That sounds obvious, but obvious things tend to be true. I’ve learned that you don’t stand a ghost of a chance of being commercially published if your novel doesn’t have tight plotting, fascinating characters, and impeccable execution. The competition out there is ridiculous. Agents and publishers receive thousands of queries every year by eager authors, so our only chance to break through is to offer something brilliant. Something bulletproof. Something impossible to turn down.

But people don’t seem to get it. Many writers think if they have a great idea, all they have to do is dash off a draft or two and then send it out in a half-baked condition. They're hoping that a publisher will recognize their genius and then work with them to develop and polish their baby to a lustrous, publishable shine.

It doesn’t work that way. There are too many great writers out there with wonderful stories to tell and who have gone through the trouble of countless rewrites and editorial input until their submissions are shimmering gems. Those are the books that get picked up by agents and publishers because they stand out from the typical dross.

I have some experience in that respect. I’ve participated in groups that review drafts of each other’s books, most of which are destined to be self-published. I’d say about 80 percent of the books I’ve reviewed are essentially unpublishable due to faulty plotting, clichéd characters, poor grammar and syntax, and other amateur shortcomings. Some offer fine stories but are poorly executed, a sure sign that the writer hasn’t done enough self-editing. I sympathize with agents who have to sort through such dross before landing on the occasional manuscript gem that deserves representation.

How do you know when your manuscript is ready?

I’m not sure there’s a definitive answer to that question. Here’s what I go by. I won’t show my manuscript to anyone until I’ve done at least seven drafts. That may seem like a lot, but I recently went to a writer’s conference in which Amy Tan was the key note speaker. She said that she goes through her manuscripts at least 100 times! Well, works for her. Then there’s guys like Jonathan Franzen who does a single draft, but he’s a freak.

Once I’m happy with the draft, I try to round up people I respect to read it. I haven’t been very successful in joining/starting a reading group, but I’ve picked up some good advice in the past by vetting my work with review groups on Goodreads. 

When my book is in very good shape, I then send it out to a professional editor for a “developmental edit.” According to the website Reedsy, a developmental edit is a “thorough and in-depth edit of your entire manuscript. It is an examination of all the elements of your writing, from single words and the phrasing of individual sentences, to overall structure and style. It can address plot holes or gaps, problematic characterization and all other existing material.”

I went through a very intense professional developmental edit with my book, COME THE HARPIES, which substantially improved my manuscript and I hope made it more marketable. I paid a little more than $600 for the services of my very talented editor, and she earned every cent!

Once you’ve incorporated the changes suggested by the editor, which can be an extremely difficult process, you’re ready for your next series of rewrites, which I’ll cover in my next post. Once you think you’re all done with your content edit, enlist the services of a professional copy editor, who will comb through your manuscript and point out grammar, spelling, and inconsistencies that pop up. That will run you another $600 or so. You can find developmental and copy editors on the Reedsy website.

At that point, you should let your manuscript rest for a few weeks, after which you can go back and make sure that it’s as polished and professional as you can make it. Then maybe, just maybe, you’re ready to submit. After three years and following the process I’ve describe, that is the stage that COME THE HARPIES has finally reached, I think! I'm probably on draft 11, but I’ve lost count. 

Since writing a brilliant manuscript is so ridiculously important to seeking representation, my next post will address that topic again with some valuable guidance that my editor gave me as I journeyed through my last three rewrites.

A HOUSEHOLD MATTER: I WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG. HOWEVER, I’VE BEEN UNABLE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THE REPLY FUNCTION TO WORK WITH THE COMMENTS. ANY SUGGESTIONS? UNTIL I GET IT WORKING, I WILL REPLY TO COMMENTS ON FOLLOW-UP POSTS.